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Friday, March 22, 2013

Impostor - Jill Hathaway

Synopsis: What if a killer took control of you?Vee Bell's gift (or curse) of "sliding" - slipping into the mind of another person and experiencing life, briefly, through his or her eyes - has been someone under control since she unwillingly witnessed the horrific deaths of her classmates six months ago. But just as things are getting back to normal, Vee has a very bizarre experience: she loses consciousness and finds herself in a deserted area, at the edge of a cliff, with the broken body of the boy who took advantage of her on the rocks below.As Vee finds herself in stranger and stranger situations with no memory of getting there, she begins to suspect that someone she knows has the ability to slide - and that this "slider" is using Vee to exact revenge on his or her enemies. (From Goodreads)

It takes something special for me to pick up books in the mystery genre. They're just not my thing. But I picked up Slide last year and totally fell in love with the characters. So I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Imposter and it was just as great as the first book. Vee is amazing and Rollins is perfect, and I really just felt like I was able to fall back into their world as if no time had passed.

Of course, time has passed in real life and in Vee's world. The story picks up six months after the crazy conclusion to Slide. There was so much I wanted resolved and I feel like this book was the perfect follow up to the first. It was completely satisfying without feeling forced or fake. I like that there's a lot of forgiveness and shifting relationships happening in this book.

Samantha, Vee's ex-best friend comes back into play and I actually ended up kind of liking her - which unfortunately comes about through some terrible circumstances. But I think her character actually brings a lot of issues that face teens today into the light and kind of make you think about the way society is built to support some pretty awful behavior. Also, I love Vee's relationship with her little sister, Mattie, that stays really strong through everything. It's great to see siblings in a YA novel that have a healthy relationship.

Now, I have to admit, a big reason I came back to this series was Rollins. I know, this is probably sad, but sometimes I just need to gush on the boys. And I want to gush about him. He would have been my dream in high school. He's a good person, and he's understanding, he listens, he has an edge, and a lip ring. I just have such a clear image of who he is in my head and I just think he's wonderful. That's not to say I didn't want to smack him upside the head a few times for being dumb, but hey, he is a teenager and he's pretty much bound to make some bad decisions here and there.

In fact all of these characters are completely teenagers - there's no false wisdom or adult qualities about them. They aren't forced to grow up too early - or at least not as much as a lot of YA characters are. They get to accidentally stay out all night, make plans for prom, and come up with completely destructable revenge ideas while still thinking it's the perfect plan. I just absolutely love the way that Jill Hathaway stays true to her character's ages and creates a genuine reading experience.

Notice I haven't said much about the actual mystery. I liked it, it kept me on my toes, but like I said - mystery isn't really my thing. I acknowledge that it was the plot in this book, but I'm just so attached to these characters, I kind of feel like they could do nothing but shop, eat and go to class and I think I'd still love them.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Impostor - Jill Hathaway

Synopsis: What if a killer took control of you?Vee Bell's gift (or curse) of "sliding" - slipping into the mind of another person and experiencing life, briefly, through his or her eyes - has been someone under control since she unwillingly witnessed the horrific deaths of her classmates six months ago. But just as things are getting back to normal, Vee has a very bizarre experience: she loses consciousness and finds herself in a deserted area, at the edge of a cliff, with the broken body of the boy who took advantage of her on the rocks below.As Vee finds herself in stranger and stranger situations with no memory of getting there, she begins to suspect that someone she knows has the ability to slide - and that this "slider" is using Vee to exact revenge on his or her enemies. (From Goodreads)

It takes something special for me to pick up books in the mystery genre. They're just not my thing. But I picked up Slide last year and totally fell in love with the characters. So I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Imposter and it was just as great as the first book. Vee is amazing and Rollins is perfect, and I really just felt like I was able to fall back into their world as if no time had passed.

Of course, time has passed in real life and in Vee's world. The story picks up six months after the crazy conclusion to Slide. There was so much I wanted resolved and I feel like this book was the perfect follow up to the first. It was completely satisfying without feeling forced or fake. I like that there's a lot of forgiveness and shifting relationships happening in this book.

Samantha, Vee's ex-best friend comes back into play and I actually ended up kind of liking her - which unfortunately comes about through some terrible circumstances. But I think her character actually brings a lot of issues that face teens today into the light and kind of make you think about the way society is built to support some pretty awful behavior. Also, I love Vee's relationship with her little sister, Mattie, that stays really strong through everything. It's great to see siblings in a YA novel that have a healthy relationship.

Now, I have to admit, a big reason I came back to this series was Rollins. I know, this is probably sad, but sometimes I just need to gush on the boys. And I want to gush about him. He would have been my dream in high school. He's a good person, and he's understanding, he listens, he has an edge, and a lip ring. I just have such a clear image of who he is in my head and I just think he's wonderful. That's not to say I didn't want to smack him upside the head a few times for being dumb, but hey, he is a teenager and he's pretty much bound to make some bad decisions here and there.

In fact all of these characters are completely teenagers - there's no false wisdom or adult qualities about them. They aren't forced to grow up too early - or at least not as much as a lot of YA characters are. They get to accidentally stay out all night, make plans for prom, and come up with completely destructable revenge ideas while still thinking it's the perfect plan. I just absolutely love the way that Jill Hathaway stays true to her character's ages and creates a genuine reading experience.

Notice I haven't said much about the actual mystery. I liked it, it kept me on my toes, but like I said - mystery isn't really my thing. I acknowledge that it was the plot in this book, but I'm just so attached to these characters, I kind of feel like they could do nothing but shop, eat and go to class and I think I'd still love them.